Denver police chief airs struggles over recruiting people of color
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Denver police chief Ron Thomas. Photo: Esteban L. Hernandez/Axios
Denver police chief Ron Thomas is raising concerns about his department's ability to recruit more officers of color.
Why it matters: It could make it harder to meet Mayor Mike Johnston's plan to bulk up the law enforcement agency by adding 168 more police officers in 2025.
State of play: The Denver Police Department has hired 75 new officers this year, according to a police spokesperson, meaning just three months are left to hire 92 more officers under the mayor's current plan.
The big picture: Thomas, the second Black police chief in department history, said during a budget hearing before Denver City Council members Friday that the department would add the rest of the officers in part by hiring more women and people of color.
- The department wants to focus on attracting more female recruits with local events hosted by female officers and events like its "community academy" that give people an inside look at the department.
Yes, but: Both Thomas and Johnston said the department's testing requirements and marijuana policy — applicants aren't allowed to have used the substance in the year before they apply — contribute to its struggle to recruit people of color.
Meanwhile, Denver Councilmember Sarah Parady said she's worried about problematic cultural issues at the police academy that make it difficult to draw recruits, especially the kind of recruits the department now wants to attract.
- She zeroed in on a disturbing cadet hazing incident that came to light this year after a lawsuit was filed by a Black recruit and past harassment from colleagues reported by female cadets.
By the numbers: While the department is budgeted to have up to 1,639 officers, it counted 1,546 as of July, per department data shared Friday.
Flashback: The department's hiring process came into the spotlight after the head of the commission responsible for hiring officers was abruptly fired in May.
- Former Denver Civil Service Commission executive director Niecy Murray accused Johnston's administration of lowering standards to meet its hiring goals, a claim public safety director Armando Saldate rejected.
The bottom line: Johnston's call for additional officers is rooted in improving public safety, but data shows violent crime is down in Denver, and the department's own 2025 projection shows overall crime rates falling.